Winter weather may make for curmudgeonly adults, but snow days and sled riding are quintessential joys for many children.
Outdoor winter play is the stuff of core memories, but like anything worthwhile in life, it comes with some risk.
That’s why we talked with Dr. Michael Patrick Jr, an emergency medicine physician at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, about practical ways to keep kids safe this winter.
Here’s what he had to say.
Pay attention to temperature warnings
There are two primary things parents and caregivers should keep in mind when considering children’s outdoor safety in the winter: injuries and excessive exposure to the cold. Overexposure to the cold can cause frostbite and, in extreme cases, hypothermia.
Frostbite occurs when a person’s skin freezes from prolonged exposure to temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the early stages, skin feels cold, sore and painful and may turn red or purple. More advanced frostbite leads to a pins and needs sensation and eventually numbness. Frostbite is most likely to affect extremities like hands and fingers, feet and toes, face, nose and ears, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Patrick recommends keeping kids inside if there is a cold weather or wind chill advisory in place. If not, children should be bundled up in hats, scarves, gloves or mittens and warm layers before venturing outdoors.
Patrick said a waterproof outer layer, like snow pants and a winter coat, is prudent.
“If your skin gets wet, the effect of the cold is even worse than it otherwise would have been, because the water can freeze and that can damage your skin,” he explained.
Check in with your kids
Even if there aren’t weather warnings in place and children are dressed appropriately, it’s important to check in with them as they play.
Patrick recommended checking in with children every 20 to 40 minutes, depending on how cold it is, to see if they want to come inside and warm up or change out of any wet clothes.
That’s because children are less likely to notice if their bodies are getting too cold.
“As adults, if we start to get cold or our fingers or toes feel kind of numb and tingly, we’re like, “Okay, that’s enough” and want to go inside and get warm,” he said. “Kids will just keep playing through it.”
In extreme cases, exposure to the cold can cause hypothermia, a life-threatening condition where core body temperature drops below 95 degrees. Parents should seek immediate medical attention if their child shows changes in behavior, confusion about who they are or where they are, lightheadedness or slurred speech.
“Just call 911 if that’s happening,” Patrick said. “That’s unusual to get that far, especially for kids who have agency to be able to go inside when they are really cold or if parents are kind of checking in on them here and there. but kids, who may not be able to do that as well.”
Teach kids to be aware of their surroundings
To avoid injury, parents should encourage their children to sled in wide open areas, far from road crossings and objects like trees, street signs or anything else that could cause a crash.
Patrick said it’s safest for sled riders to go down hill one at a time, with one child per sled, to avoid colliding or “bonking heads.” He also encouraged parents to make sure their child, or one of their friends, has a cell phone on hand in case injuries occur.
Parents should also encourage their children to watch for ice — including black ice.
“You can lose your balance pretty easily, so you want to go slower and walk more deliberately with a wider gait,” Patrick said. “It’s helpful if you have shoes that have a good tread on them that aren’t necessarily slippery.”
If a kid does fall and hit their head, parents should keep an eye on their child and seek medical attention if they notice any changes in behavior, vomiting, irritability, neck pain or severe headaches.
Does being out in the cold actually make you more likely to get sick?
While exposure to cold, dry air can make it easier for viruses to spread, Patrick said it’s a myth that you can catch a cold from being outdoors in cold weather.
“The reason that kids typically get more sick in the wintertime is actually because of school,” he said. “If you have a room full of 25 kids and someone brings a virus to the classroom, they’re going to share it.”
Patrick said sickness rates tend to follow a predictable pattern, even in warmer climates.
“Once September rolls around, the emergency room starts getting busy, doctor’s offices are more busy, but that’s just because kids are in close contact with one another,” he said.
“There was a time in my life that I practiced in Florida and we still saw flu in the winter,” he said. “You could always predict once school started, it’s usually about two weeks —everybody’s getting sick.”
“During the winter, our doors and windows are all closed. The air is recirculating through the furnace, so those indoor viruses are going to spread a lot easier from person to person,” he added. “It’s really more of exposure to viruses that do it, not the weather.”
The benefits of outdoor winter play
If there are no active weather warnings related specifically to the cold, children have proper clothing and parents are keeping an eye on them, there’s no reason not to enjoy time outdoors.
While playing outside will always involve some level of risk, it’s important to remember that there are also benefits for children’s physical and mental health.
Kids benefit from fresh air and exercise, as well as time with friends.
“We want kids to have fun. We want them to use their creativity, to play with their friends,” Patrick said. “Those are all opportunities kids have playing out in the snow, as long as there aren’t those advisories and they’re dressed appropriately.”